“Oh Kam, Tyler wanted to go over the papers with us really quick for Uncle George. You want to see if we can get it out the way so we don’t have to come back Monday?” Kam sighs with exasperation and shrugs, looking over at me, his expression full of an apology.
“Would you mind?” he asks regretfully.
“Uh no, it’s fine,” I tell him, a little confused at what’s happening.
“I won’t let it be more than fifteen minutes,” Katie promises, glancing between Blue and me.
“It’s cool babe, we’ll grab seats,” he tells her, and she lights up like she’s just won the lottery before jumping in his arms. They share a heated kiss that makes me stare at the ground.
“Come on Katie, let’s get this over with,” Kam says begrudgingly. We watch them disappear into the crowd.
“Why are they looking at papers?” I ask, a little confused.
“Oh, their uncle is co-owner of the place. He just footed the money…it’s sort of their brainchild, so to speak,” he says easily.
“Wait so this is like their club?” I ask, a little taken aback.
He laughs knowingly. “Something like that.”
Wow.
“You’ll get used to it. It took me some time, but they’re different from the rich kids here—totally down to earth, normal. Well, not normal, what the hell do I know about what normal is? But they’re not pricks. Which you probably know already. Kam’s a cool dude.”
I nod. No, Kam isn’t a prick at all. “I used to call them the golden children.” A hint of a grin appears on his face, and he crosses his long tatted arms across his chest. His tattoos are artwork, deep and rich in color, all varying shades of blue, the lining sharp and crisp, not like the low-budget tattoos I saw growing up.
“I can see that.” I giggle. There’s something about familiarity that makes you comfortable. Foster care was hell, and nothing I’d ever want to revisit. And I try to forget but I guess it’s what I knew and there’s something about Blue that reminds me not of it but where I came from, how I grew up…and there’s a small amount of comfort in that.
“Their parents are really cool?” I can’t help but ask, my thoughts flirting with a glimpse of a future that I’m too scared to wish for.
“Yeah, they’re good people. The parents, that is. The friends of the parents and uncles, etc…” He trails off and I bite my lip.
“Kam won’t let them give you any shit though. Don’t let golden boy fool you, he doesn’t play that shit. He gets my respect. He’s a good dude.” I’m intrigued by this, as I’ve only ever seen Kam be charming, polite, and dreamy. Blue pulls out a cigarillo. “You mind before we go in?”
“Not at all.” He lights it up.
“Don’t tell Katie.” He winks and I smile at him conspiringly.
“Where are you from?” he asks in between puffs, and it’s a question I usually dread, but there’s something about Blue that makes him easy to talk to. Maybe because he has an almost “I don’t give a shit attitude” but it makes me feel like he wouldn’t judge anyone. I really don’t know if he’s anything like me. He could be the rich kid of some bad ass rockstar for all I know. Katie mentioned he has a scholarship but that could be from him being some sort of genius. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s poor or middle-class, but I don’t feel like my answers would result in his pity or judgement.
“I’ve lived in Indiana my whole life but where I’m from, I’m not sure,” I tell him with a shrug. He eyes me curiously.
“I grew up in foster care. I never met my birth parents.”
He nods, giving me an empathetic look, but doesn’t say anything.
“What about you?”
“Chicago…the shitty part, not the one you see on tourist shows.” He chuckles.
“You look sort of familiar. We met before?” he asks, and I shake my head. I’ve met more people than I could ever name in my lifetime of bouncing from place to place but I’m sure I’d remember him if I had. He’s not the type of person you’d forget easily.
“I don’t think so,” I tell him adamantly. He tilts his head slightly, his eyes narrowing in on me a few seconds, then shrugs.
“Good, I was starting to think we might have fucked before.” He lets out a relieved sigh, and I can’t help but laugh, heat spreading like fire across my face.
“That didn’t offend you, did it? I mean if we did I’m sure I’d have remembered. You’re gorgeous, but I feel like I’ve run across you before or something,” he explains.
“No, I’m not offended. But I don’t think so. I’ve never been to Chicago and I just started going to class on campus this semester. Or maybe if you’ve been to the bookstore, I work there,” I offer. He nods and shrugs.
“It’s not important I guess, maybe we’re just kindred spirits or something,” he jokes before we head into the club. I laugh but there’s something about what he’s said, like the tracing of an old picture, a faded thought, the echo of a daydream. Not of Blue…maybe his essence or a boy in a movie I had an old crush on once? A best friend from another life? But when Kam snakes his arms around me, my thoughts are only on him.
“That didn’t take too long, did it?” His breath tickles my ear. He smells so good, a clean and masculine scent wrapping around my senses.
“No, Blue kept me company,” I tell him with a wide smile. He arches a brow and his blue eyes twinkle at me.
“He better have,” he says, squeezing my waist and grazing my neck with his lips. I’m starting to get lost in his touch. Katie’s back as well so we make our way to the front of the stage. The band has started warming up. Excitement spreads through the place as a handsome singer with tats like Blue, but an all-American boy like Kam, starts singing. The drums and guitar start up after his crooning and the vibrations go through the entire place. We get drinks; Kam just gets a beer. I request something fruity again. This time the girl brings me a Tequila Sunrise.
“Babe you sure you want to do that?” Kam asks me, amused. I swallow a bit of it and notice it has a much stronger taste than the red drink from earlier, but I hate to send things back.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I tell him with a smile.
“I’ll help you drink it, okay?” he says playfully.
The band is good and I could imagine their song playing on a top ten radio station. When I’m halfway through my drink the music sounds even better and the vibrations of the music feel like they’re going through my entire body. I’ve never been a dancer. I’ve never been to a bar like this for leisure. I’ve worked at them with a fake ID when I really needed money when I was younger. Like a lamb sent out with lions, I learned quickly. But that was a lifetime ago.
I wanted to stay on this wave and enjoy every minute in Kam’s arms, leaning back against his strong chest. His hands tracing the curves of my body, his touch making me want to do things I was once terrified of happening to me without my permission. I make up my mind when he lifts me up in his arms and his lips kiss mine. I won’t sabotage this. It’s good. There are things that can happen that are good and I won’t let the past ruin whatever path Kam is taking me down. I want to live, I want him, and I don’t want another day to just pass me by. I slink my arms around his neck and pull his face closer so I can reach his ear.